Monday, August 25, 2014

Thanks to Catholic watchdog groups such as the Catholic League and TFP, grassroots action has stopped sacrilegious "black masses" at Harvard and in Oklahoma City in the past few months.

Thankfully, the shrewd Archbishop of Oklahoma City Paul Coakley thought quickly: he sued the satanic group and demanded the return of the Blessed Sacrament. On Thursday, his office announced the return of the Sacred Host and the agreement with the group that they wouldn't desecrate a Host at this event as planned.

Although he doesn't explicitly say so, I'm sure that Fr Timothy Reid wrote his column in last weekend's church bulletin with these recent scandals on his mind.

While Catholics are allowed to receive Holy Communion in the hand at Novus Ordo Masses, I think it’s good to keep in mind that doing so is not the “normal” way of receiving Holy Communion. Personally I question if it is a good idea to receive in the hand as small fragments from the Hosts often flake off and can be easily lost (and thus desecrated). If you do choose to receive this way, please ensure that any fragments or crumbs from the Host are consumed. I’m always amazed how many small fragments of the Host flake off onto my fingers as I offer Mass, and so I encourage you to be as vigilant as possible about this. Remember: even the smallest fragment of a Host is our Lord!

Moreover, it seems to me that receiving in the hand robs that most sub lime moment of the Mass of some of its mystery and reverence. We’ve all had the experience as children of being told not to touch something because it was so valuable. As we consider the value of the Eucharist, we should be even more leery of touching It. While I find most of you to be very reverent, handling the Host as we would any common object can have the unwanted effect of making us lose sight of the sacredness of the Eucharist. We should avoid any casualness in receiving Holy Communion not only because God deserves as much respect and reverence as we can muster, but also because being reverent is good for our souls and helpful for our salvation!

After all if those with evil intentions are to obtain the Blessed Sacrament for ill purpose, they have to get it from somewhere. How much easier is it for a Sacred Host to be stolen when placed in someone's hands where it could easily be stashed away rather than directly in his mouth?